1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beverage containers for holding liquid or semi-liquid contents. More particularly, the invention concerns the prevention of beverage container tipping and consequent content spillage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
By way of background, beverage containers such as glasses, mugs, cans, bottles and the like are prone to tipping and consequent content spillage due to the fact that such containers are typically tall in comparison to their supporting bottom portion. This creates a high center of gravity that renders the containers unstable when exposed to side loads, such as those that may be imparted by inadvertently knocking the container with a hand or arm, or when the container is subject to acceleration forces (lateral, vertical or in any other direction) within the confines of a moving land vehicle, aircraft or watercraft. Glasses and mugs are especially prone to major content loss in the event of tipping due to their relatively large open tops. Although this problem can be addressed with a removable cover that allows the contents of the mug or glass to be consumed through a hole or slot, as in the conventional “travel mug,” such covers do not prevent spillage when the mug or glass is tipped over on its side. Moreover, the force of the tip-over can jar the cover loose, causing the contents to spill out.
It is also known to utilize a suction device to secure a beverage container to a surface and thereby stabilize the container against tipping. Such devices, however, either require the user to affirmatively place the beverage container into contact with the suction device, apply a positive downward force to secure the suction device to the surface, or perform an unlocking action to release the suction device from the surface or the container from the suction device.
It is to improvements in the foregoing field that the present invention is directed. In particular, what is needed is an improved beverage container that resists tipping and consequent beverage spillage. Preferably, this result can be achieved in a manner that does not require a user to perform any step or operation apart from normal manipulation of the container. The user should not be required to learn any new mode of container operation and the anti-tipping feature should preferably operate in “stealth mode” such that the user is not even aware that such feature is present when the container is used in normal fashion.